Pelicans vs. Grizzlies Prediction and Odds for January 24: Ja and Company to Stay Hot at Home?

The New Orleans Pelicans (12-32) will visit the Memphis Grizzlies (29-15) for a Western Conference matchup on Friday night.

The Pels are only 4-16 on the road, yet they won four straight games in a rare glimpse of positive play. They’re still barreling toward a disappointing end to their “window” of contention, but they’ve at least been competitive as of late.

The Grizzlies find themselves third in the West and just a half-game behind the second-place Houston Rockets. They also won four straight games and are 17-5 in their arena.

Here, we will break down the matchup and share our best Pelicans vs. Grizzlies betting picks to kickstart the weekend.

Pelicans vs. Grizzlies Betting Odds for Friday, January 24

The Pelicans are 19-25 (43.2) percent against the spread, 7-13 (35 percent) ATS on the road, and 14-18 (43.8 percent) ATS as an underdog.

The Grizzlies are 29-15 (65.9 percent) ATS, the second-best mark in the league, 15-7 (68.2 percent) ATS at home, and 19-10 (65.5 percent) ATS as a favorite.

Odds for the Pelicans vs. Grizzlies game are courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Head over to BetMGM to place your bets and Get Up to $1,500 in Bonus Bets*.

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Pelicans vs. Grizzlies Prediction

New Orleans Pelicans Preview

The Pelicans believed that they would be able to turn their young asset and draft capital from the Anthony Davis trade into a championship-contending team a few years down the line. 

On paper, they put themselves in a position to at least contend for home-court advantage in the playoffs. 

Players such as Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle, Zion Williamson, Dejounte Murray, and CJ McCollum all donned the Pels’ jersey in recent years, yet none were able to break through in the playoffs.

The team’s 27.3 win percentage this season may officially signal the end of the Pelicans’ attempts to contend with this iteration of their roster. They are wildly inconsistent with their day-to-day personnel, the star players’ games don’t complement each other, and the team simply doesn’t have enough talent to make any real headway.

To make matters worse, Ingram and Williamson are both out for Friday’s game against the Grizzlies.

The Pels are 10th in offensive and 17th in defensive rating in 2025, both significantly above their season rankings of 25th in offensive and 28th in defensive rating. Their -12.4 net rating on the road is second only to the Washington Wizards, and they’re 0-2 against the Grizzlies with losses of eight and 11 points.

On a positive note, the Pelicans got four days of rest between games and will be rested. McCollum also dropped 45 points in his last outing, while Trey Murphy III averaged 25.3 points and 6.3 rebounds in 2025 thus far.

Memphis Grizzlies Preview

In many ways, the Grizzlies are who the Pelicans want and tried to be. They drafted their franchise cornerstone piece, Ja Morant, in 2019, the same year that Williamson went first overall, surrounded him with complementary pieces he could grow with, and are now willing to go deeper off their bench than any team in the league.

Memphis took down the Charlotte Hornets 132-120 its last time on the court and won four of its last five home games, with the only loss coming by four points to the second-place Rockets.

The Grizz rank second in offensive and 20th in defensive rating in 2025, while they’re fifth in offensive and sixth in defensive rating for the year. Their recent slump on defense is largely because they did a terrible job defending the three-point line, allowing their opponents to shoot 40.7 percent from deep in January.

Peeling back another layer, the Grizzlies rank in the top 10 in offensive and defensive points in the paint, points off turnovers, and second-chance points in 2025. They’re also fifth in field goal percentage (eighth in three-point percentage) and hold teams to the third-lowest shooting percentage, even below the marks set by the Rockets and the Boston Celtics.

The Pelicans are going to have a tough time matching up with Jaren Jackson Jr., especially without Williamson or Herb Jones available for the assignment. While Morant averaged a humble 20.7 points on 42.7 percent shooting to start the new year, Jackson Jr. led the way with 24.1 points on 48.7 percent from the field.

Memphis is also third in home net rating (+11.2) and is the second-best team in basketball on the boards, while the Pelicans are dead last.

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Pelicans vs. Grizzlies Betting Pick

• Pelicans vs. Grizzlies pick: Pelicans +12.5 (-110) at BetMGM 

Clearly, the Grizzlies are the better team in this matchup. Whether or not they can cover this large of a spread depends on their ability to overcome the Pels’ rest advantage, and if they can lock down the perimeter to stifle players such as McCollum and Murphy III.

The Grizzlies have been totally consistent for most of the year and are awesome at home. They went 1-1 ATS against the Pels, but the missed cover opportunity came by just one point.

We expect the Grizzlies to win this game, but New Orleans’ improved play and Memphis’ struggles beyond the three-point line lead us to believe that the underdogs can cover this line.

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How to Watch Pelicans vs. Grizzlies on 1/24/25

• When: Friday, January 24 @ 7:00/8:00 p.m. ET

• Where: FedEx Forum, Memphis, TN

• TV: NBA TV

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